THE Cebu City Transportation Office has had its hands full since Mayor Tomas Osmeña announced that the City would strictly implement traffic laws and violators would be dealt with severely.
Some motorists still think that being on the road is akin to playing the game of cat and mouse. They toe the line when they see an enforcer manning the street, but when there isn’t one… well, then all hell breaks loose.
And let’s face it. There’s just too many motorists and too few enforcers. That’s why I don’t expect them to catch every violator, who, apparently, has made it their mission in life to violate every law conceivable.
The mayor did say he would hire additional enforcers, but I don’t know if he has come to that. He has been busy with other matters like opening the doors to the city library 24/7 and patting himself on the back for that unsolicited proposal to develop Kawit Island at a tune of P18 billion.
And judging by the hours-long gridlock at the intersection of Tres de Abril and F. Llamas Streets the other night with no traffic personnel in sight, Osmeña has not.
However, if the public wants an end to or a respite from the current carmaggedon that has become the daily norm in the metro, then it has to do its part. It cannot and must not place all the responsibility of solving or even addressing the problem to the local government units concerned without accounting for individual actions.
The road is like any other ecosystem. For it to function well, the enforcers and the motorists must interact as a system while sticking to their designated roles.
The enforcers are there to ensure the smooth flow of traffic. Motorists, on their end, are expected to know what they can and cannot do.
In other words, motorists should know all the rules and regulations even before they get into their vehicles. That way, they avoid violating them. Those people who still can’t heed a simple “no stopping” sign have no business being on the road.
In an ideal world, a driver is only issued a license after passing several tests, including one on road rules and signs.
So it goes without saying that a person with a driver’s license means he passed the test and therefore is not ignorant of the road rules and signs.
As for that piece of plastic (for those who have it), consider it as a signed contract, with the driver agreeing to abide by the law and to follow road etiquette in exchange for the use of roads.
Remember, the State can only do so much. Traffic is but one of its many problems.
Don’t expect it to perform a miracle, which, at this point, looks to be the only viable solution.